Typically, a PIN code, pattern, fingerprint or password is used to unlock your phone. Recently, smartphone developers began to introduce a new unlocking feature that involves the use of the front camera and face scanning. Let's look at what the "Face Unlock" function from Huawei and Honor is, how to activate it, and how to use it.
How Face ID works from Huawei and Honor
The service works as follows:
- First, the program detects the face.
- Then it levels it out.
- Recognizes.
Initially, she detects the face in the photo, compares colors, contrast, and examines all areas of the photo.
The second stage is leveling. Detected faces are divided into special nodes. This includes the shape of the eyes, the distance between them, the nose, the width of the cheekbones and other parameters. Thus, the system creates a kind of 3D model. As a result, a comparison is made with the existing image. That is, the program goes through three stages every time you try to unlock the device.
Technical characteristics of Honor 7C:
- Processor: Qualcomm Snapdragon 450 1.8 GHz
- GPU: Adreno 506
- RAM: 3 GB
- ROM: 32 GB expandable up to 256 GB via MicroSD
- Display: TFT LCD (IPS) 5.99 inches, resolution 1440 × 720 pixels, 268PPI, 16 million colors
- Main camera: 13MP + 2MP, PDAF, photo resolution up to 4160 × 3120, digital zoom (max. 4x), flash
- Front camera: 8 MP
- Operating system: Android 8.0 with EMUI8.0 user interface
- Connectivity: 2.4G WiFi, 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.2
- Battery: 3000 mAh
- Data connector: MicroUSB
- Audio Jack: 3.5mm headphone jack
- Other: Dual SIM, Fingerprint Sensor, GPS/Glonass/Beidou, WPS Office Pre-installed
- Dimensions: 158.3 mm x 76.7 mm x 7.8 mm
- Weight: 164 g
Settings
Setup and activation process:
- Go to settings.
- Find the "Security and Privacy" option.
- Go to "Face Unlock".
- The system will ask for a PIN code or draw a pattern, depending on what is set to unlock the display.
- Click on “Registration”, read the instructions and click on the “Continue” button.
- Next, the system will ask for permission. Click the appropriate button, which will take you to the next page where registration will take place. The front camera will launch, point it at your face and wait for the technology to record it.
- The resulting photo will be used when trying to unlock the screen.
- The option remembers only one person, that is, no one will be able to unlock the smartphone except the owner.
How to activate facial recognition on your Honor 9X?
You can unlock your Honor 9X on your face. This avoids the need to write a password as well as a pattern inside your Android device. Facial recognition unlocking is an unlocking mode that uses biometrics such as iris unlocking as well as fingerprints. Before setting up any biometrics, you will be asked to save a general unlock mode such as password, pattern, and PIN.
Steps to be able to choose to unlock Honor 9X on your face
- Open the settings menu of your Honor 9X.
- Then click Biometrics and Security or Security.
- Then click on Unlock Mode, which is often at the bottom of the menu.
- Then select facial recognition, but also Face: you will be asked to enter your current password or pattern to continue.
- Look at the walk
- Take a photo of your face
- Confirm, a second photo of your face will usually be requested.
Influence of lighting and other factors
Most users are wary of face unlock on Huawei and Honor, wondering how the option will work under certain conditions or other external factors. Let's consider what effect lighting has on function.
Although Face ID is easy to use, it may not work properly at times. In some situations the system cannot recognize the owner, why? This is affected by light. If it is weak, then the software may generate an error and not recognize the user or mistake him for a stranger.
The reason is the fact that the function is based only on software, that is, it is not fixed in hardware. To solve the problem with light, just activate the display backlight. Double tap on it, which will cause the screen to light up and you can unlock your smartphone.
Additionally, we note the process of saving a photo during registration - it is important that the face is natural and relaxed. Also pay attention to the available accessories, it is better to remove the piercing, and daylight should not be bright. Please note that if you took a photo at the wrong moment, for example, you were distracted or turned your face, then the program will remember it that way. Therefore, it is better to retake the photo.
If you have any questions or complaints, please let us know
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Also, the technology will not work and will refuse to unlock if your eyes are closed and sunglasses are on. Things or hair act as interference - excessively long bangs, a scarf and other factors. To easily unlock the display, make sure your face is open.
Honor 9X review: the ninth wave
More than six months have passed since the thunder of American sanctions against Huawei struck. But the United States has once again, for the third time, postponed their introduction, and Huawei/Honor still continues to release new models on the market (and is just as well eating away share from other players). “The extension of the Temporary General License will not have a significant impact on Huawei's business. This decision does not change the fact that Huawei continues to be treated unfairly,” this is how the company commented on the situation. Indeed, uncertainty leaves its mark on the company’s lineup as well. For example, Honor launched a model in the mid-segment 9X with last year's Kirin 710F chip, since such a solution was certified before the sanctions.
What kind of model is this?
Honor 9X is an update to the popular Honor X series. In fact, this is Huawei P Smart Z, with slight differences in specifications and a different design. Last year's X-series representative sold 10 million copies by spring and made its competitors nervous. But if the “hot cake” of 2018 at the start of sales cost 7,999 UAH, then a representative of the middle segment entered the market this year at a price of 6,999 UAH. The Kirin 710F sweetened the pill not only with a pleasant price, but also with a powerful camera.
What is interesting about Honor 9X?
We have already published a review of Huawei P Smart Z; if you are looking closely at this price category, you probably didn’t miss it. Like its colleague/competitor, Honor 9X is equipped with a front-facing popup camera, and accordingly, its display is devoid of cutouts. The main camera has grown to 48 MP, and this is a triple camera in the below-average price category. Like the above-mentioned model, this one has a fairly energy-efficient processor for its price category - the Kirin 710F is made using a 12 nm process technology.
For some reason, this model for our market does not have NFC. But they installed a three-module camera.
What does he look like?
On the front side there is an almost solid screen (occupies 84% of the surface), on the back there is a typical Honor X with an X-shaped pattern on the lid, which becomes noticeable in artificial light. Moreover, rays of light, built as if from pixels, diverge throughout the body even when the smartphone is in a transparent silicone case. Without it, it’s even brighter. On the back is a triple camera module, prettier than on the new iPhones, and a fingerprint scanner.
The model weighs almost 200 grams. Overall, it's still a comfortable weight for a smartphone, as are the dimensions. It is a millimeter thicker than its predecessor and several millimeters longer and wider. I can't compare the hand feel to the Honor 8X, but I will say that I was still able to use it with one hand in many cases. Unlock the screen using a PIN code or fingerprint - please. Launching the application and navigating through the menu - often yes. But typing a message is no longer convenient.
Unlike its predecessor, this model already received a Type-C connector. Audio output saved. With them below, the speaker is normal, loud (it only wheezes at maximum settings), although lonely. If you hold your smartphone in a horizontal orientation, it will not fit into your hand.
The sound control and screen lock buttons are on the right. Slightly above the center of the smartphone. There is nothing on the left side - and that’s good, because it would be inconvenient to stretch. The top is reserved for the upstart camera, which is quite compact, and a slot for two SIM cards (the second is a hybrid one; you can also install a memory card with a capacity of up to 512 GB). One of the disadvantages is that Huawei/Honor popup smartphones do not have a facial recognition system, while there are solutions on the market located on a retractable block.
In general, I liked the appearance of the model - the assembly is solid, the ergonomics are excellent for the size of the smartphone, and there is an interesting design solution on the back side. The color - blue in any case - is pleasing to the eye. The only thing is that the smartphone collects fingerprints from the back with a bang.
What's included in the package?
Smartphone, charger, cable, protective film for the screen. There is no case, and it is better to buy one, since the case is quite slippery and also large, the smartphone can simply slip out.
How's the screen?
Honor 9X is equipped with a 6.59-inch screen with a resolution of 1080×2340 pixels (aspect ratio 19.5:9), which gives a pixel density of a comfortable level of 391 ppi. By default, the screen is somewhat blue. But if you turn on warm temperature in the settings, the color rendition of the IPS matrix of this screen becomes perfectly accurate, which is not typical for budget devices. Only the color gamut is slightly smaller than the RGB space. In your smartphone settings, you can make the temperature warmer and the colors brighter. There you can also enable the eye protection mode and disable the default “smart” resolution, which is reduced when the battery charge is low.
I can’t evaluate the oleophobic coating, since my smartphone came with a protective film. The smartphone, judging by the P Smart Z, should be quite good. The brightness - again, in the current realities of the Kyiv weather - is sufficient. Our office colorimeter showed a maximum brightness of 350 cd/m2. There are no questions about the operation of the automatic backlight adjustment.
The screen is FullView, that is, without cutouts. The front camera is hidden in the body, and this is the first such model in the Honor line. With all the consequences - movies are great to watch, comfortable to read, nothing cuts off precious millimeters of information.
What about the battery?
I tested the Honor 9X in urban conditions - that is, there was no increased load on the battery, as happens when traveling. It also happened that my smartphone worked for more than two days. Judging by a similar Huawei model, almost two days of work is the average norm for a battery. I basically don’t use the power saving mode and ignore the system’s suggestions to unload a too resource-intensive application from memory. In standby mode, the battery drains very slowly. So if necessary, I think it will be possible to squeeze out three days of autonomy or so in economy mode. An important clarification - this time I listened to music from my phone exclusively on wireless headphones, this is from two to several hours a day.
What about performance and interface?
As I mentioned above, the Kirin 710F is installed here. The amount of RAM is 4 GB. In general, the picture is typical for its price category, although devices with 6 GB of RAM are gradually starting to appear in it. The processor is based on the big.LITTLE architecture, contains eight cores (four high-performance ARM Cortex-A73 with a clock frequency of up to 2.2 GHz and four energy-saving ARM Cortex-A53 with a clock frequency of up to 1.7 GHz), supports GPU Turbo technology, which According to the manufacturer, it provides a 60% increase in productivity and a 30% reduction in energy costs. In real life, a smartphone is comfortable to work with, taking into account the price and its level. The interface works smoothly, but it's not rocket-bomb like in flagship smartphones. I also didn’t notice any brakes or freezes behind it. Unless a dozen tabs in Chrome can start to slow down. You can play Asphalt 9 on it, the game runs, although there are some slight twitches.
You can read about the interface of the model in reviews, for example, P30 lite or Mate 20 lite, there is nothing new here. Google services are available.
How does the main camera shoot?
Honor 9X received a triple camera with a triple module. The main one is 48-megapixel (f/1.8). Additional - 8 MP ultra-wide-angle (f/2.4) and auxiliary - 2-megapixel, for bokeh effect. Apparently, exactly the same module is installed in the Huawei P30 lite, and we liked this camera at one time. This is a rather extraordinary solution, and the P30 lite review describes the theoretical part in detail and provides a large number of pictures with examples of gorgeous detail and wonderful panoramic shots. Of course, there was no such sun as in summer in Kyiv in November, so my examples are cloudy and foggy, or even taken at night. But they allow you to consider the capabilities of the camera in all sorts of different conditions.
Below are examples of shots taken with a wide-angle smartphone camera.
And also an example of pictures taken in aperture priority mode.
For those who do not want to get acquainted with the theoretical part, let me clarify that pictures in a maximum 48-megapixel resolution are not always available, but only for photos taken without AI intervention. And you need to select it in the settings. Or switching occurs automatically when shooting with “2x zoom”. At 3x zoom the magic disappears. It is very difficult to get a clear picture at this magnification. In general, the manufacturer recommends shooting at 12 MP.
Panoramic photography.
Night mode.
For comparison, the night mode in the Galaxy A50. He shoots faster, but he tries so hard, he tries so hard that the pictures he takes turn out lighter than we would like. Honor 9X still looks more like night.
An example of a video shot on the Honor 9X camera.
What about the front?
Honor 9X has a 16-megapixel module in the popup form factor. Moreover, the module is really compact.
Any moving mechanism for a smartphone is potentially a problem. Honor says the 9X's popup camera will last up to 10,000 open/close cycles, which is about five years of operation. In addition, the smartphone is equipped with sensors that can detect a fall and close the camera on the go. I checked. Works. The smartphone warns that it had to close the camera.
The module’s “departure” speed is not the highest on the market, but quite comfortable. I checked the fall sensors from about a meter above the sofa.
The camera managed to hide at the last moment. That is, it is better, of course, not to drop it, but if this happens, then most likely everything will remain intact.
There are no questions about the quality of shooting. Huawei/Honor has some of the best selfie processing algorithms on the market, although it does like to play things up on the default settings. The camera does not redraw the entire face like Vivo, and does not leave hard shadows like OPPO - a healthy balance of “beauty” and life.
An example of pictures in original resolution, as usual, is available on Torba.
What are the alternatives?
The most obvious is, of course, Huawei P Smart Z. Everything is the same, only with NFC and a little cheaper, with a slightly different design style. Honor in this case has a more advanced main camera and twice the amount of internal memory.
The model differs from its predecessor in its increased screen diagonal and battery capacity (in fact, there is most likely no difference in battery life), and as with the P Smart Z, it has a plus camera, minus price and NFC. But if in the first case the choice is not so obvious, then in the second, for those who do not pay with a smartphone, I would recommend taking a closer look at the latest version of the “average”.
In the Samsung line, the model competes with the Galaxy A50 and Galaxy A40, A40s and a little more A30. You can get lost in the abundance of mid-segment models from Samsung, and the differences between them are not so obvious. The first is interesting because of its AMOLED display, NFC, fast charging and face recognition system. But it loses with the front camera and price. The smoothness of the interface is comparable, but the life expectancy is somehow shorter, despite the difference in diagonal and display technology in favor of Samsung. The Galaxy A50 also has an in-display fingerprint scanner. And it works extremely poorly. Younger models have smaller screens and lower performance, but AMOLED is everywhere. But for some reason it seems to me that this also does not give the battery a big head start, as in the older model. The Galaxy A40s received more RAM (6 GB) and a lower display resolution.
They also ask for exactly the same money for the Xiaomi Redmi Note 8. The models are similar in terms of characteristics, although Xiaomi has more bells and whistles - more camera modules, RAM and contactless payments. At the same time, the cutout on the screen and the manufacturer’s image are, after all, weaker. . But there is a cutout on the screen and there is still a difference in the levels of the manufacturer; Honor belongs to Huawei with all that it implies.
In general, in my opinion, it is very hot in this price category and it will be difficult to make a choice. Therefore, for those who are considering a smartphone for 6000-8000 UAH, I recommend starting from expectations from the camera and the need for NFC. Then everything will fall into place.
Bottom line
Honor 9X is a smartphone for those who are not ready to pay extra for a brand, but are sensitive to the quality of the device and also do not intend to risk the brand. This is a 100% user who does not pay with a digital wallet. And also a person who cares about the camera, including selfies. Do you consider yourself one of those? Then pay attention to this model.
4 reasons to buy Honor 9X:
- outstanding camera for the money;
- 128 GB of internal memory;
- interesting design;
- decent autonomy.
3 reasons not to buy Honor 9X:
- Do you need contactless payments?
- no facial recognition;
- you prefer an OLED screen.
| Specifications Honor 9X | |
| Display | IPS LCD 6.59″, 1080×2312 pixels, 391 ppi |
| Dimensions and weight | 164x77x9 mm, 197 g |
| CPU | Kirin 710F (8 cores: 4 Cortex A73 2.2 GHz + 4 Cortex A-53 1.7 GHz), ARM Mali-G51 graphics, 1.0 GHz |
| Memory | RAM 4 GB, ROM 128 GB + microSD up to 512 GB (hybrid tray) |
| Camera | Main 48 MP, f/1.8, ultra-wide-angle 8 MP (f/2.4), secondary (for background blur) 2 MP Front: 16 MP, pop-up |
| Interface | USB Type-C |
| Wireless technologies | Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n (2.4 and 5 GHz), Bluetooth 4.2 |
| Battery | non-removable, lithium polymer, 4000 mAh |
| operating system | Android 9.0 (Pie) with EMUI 9.0.1 add-on |
| SIM card | 2 x nanoSIM |
| Fingerprint's scanner | on the back panel |
Honor 9X
Three-eyed frameless
smartphone has a 6.59-inch IPS display without cutouts, a retractable front camera, a Kirin 710F processor, a triple main camera and a 4000 mAh battery.
Buy at Rozetka Buy at Comfy Buy at TTT
For those who want to know more
- Definitely, wow: review of the Huawei P Smart Z smartphone
- Honor 8A review: your child's first smartphone
- Honor 10 Lite review: Huawei P smart 2021 twin with improved camera
- The best smartphone under 10,000 hryvnia
- The best smartphone under 7000 hryvnia
Camera overview
Contrary to newfangled trends, Honor 8S has only one 13 MP camera. The standard photography application is as stripped down as possible: there is a beauty mode that hides skin imperfections, a Pro mode for shooting with manual settings, panorama and HDR. The absence of AI algorithms and background blur is expected, but the night mode, which would maximize the good aperture of the f/1.8 camera in low light, is really lacking.
Photos taken with the 8S during the day look good. They have a decent dynamic range, accurate color reproduction and good detail, but the quality of the images deteriorates significantly in artificial lighting and at night.
In difficult conditions, the pictures turn out to be very blurry, with a lot of noise; you are unlikely to have the desire to publish such photos on social networks.
As for video, Honor 8S can record FullHD videos with relatively good detail and sound transmission. Autofocus works adequately, but due to the lack of electronic stabilization, the picture turns out to be too jerky.
